EOS Digital Rebel - accessories?

[hank1105]

Hello all. I just purchased the Canon EOS Digital Rebel, based on the reviews of the camera that I have read on the internet. The camera does come with the lense kit.

Here is my question: I need to purchase a memory card, camera bag, lcd protector screens, memory card reader and an additional battery. Does anyone know where I can all of these items on the internet for a reasonable price? Also is there anything else I should get?

I am also a little confused concerning the lense, the 18-55. I am used to other cameras that say they have a 3x zoom. Is their a calculation that takes mm and converts to X zoom amount? Can anyone recommend the next lense I should look at.

Thank you for any responses and I appreciate the time put into the replies. Sorry for the noob questions.

Hank

[timmyquest]

Hello all. I just purchased the Canon EOS Digital Rebel, based on the reviews of the camera that I have read on the internet. The camera does come with the lense kit.

Here is my question: I need to purchase a memory card, camera bag, lcd protector screens, memory card reader and an additional battery. Does anyone know where I can all of these items on the internet for a reasonable price? Also is there anything else I should get?

I am also a little confused concerning the lense, the 18-55. I am used to other cameras that say they have a 3x zoom. Is their a calculation that takes mm and converts to X zoom amount? Can anyone recommend the next lense I should look at.

Thank you for any responses and I appreciate the time put into the replies. Sorry for the noob questions.

Hank

Forget everything you learned about your camera and it's lenses. It's mostly marketing. 10x zoom...wow, impressive...not exactly.

There are $6000 lenses that are only 1x.

All that number is based on is this "new system". so i a point and shoot can zoom from 20mm to 40mm then it has a 2x zoom. If it can zoom from 10 to 100 then it has a 10x zoom.

As for what lens you should first buy, i suggest going with the 50mm f/1.8
check out http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/ for all your photography needs

[Jon]

Personally, I don't use LCD screen protectors. I haven't noticed any problem with the cover over the screen for my D60 scratching in the past couple years. On my PDA, I'll use them, but that's seeing a lot of constant abrasion from the stylus or whatever other blunt object I may find to point and poke with.

NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com) has good prices on memory. SanDisk memory (and card readers) are always safe. They'll probably have batteries as well, or you can get those (Canon's or third-party) from your local Circuit City/Best Buy/. . . I wouldn't venture to recommend a camera bag as wants vary with the user. A number of people here use Adorama's (http://www.adorama.com) Slinger for small outfits (camera, 1 or 2 lenses and maybe a flash).

"3x zoom" is a completely meaningless and unhelpful description created by the marketroids. All it means is that the longest focal length your lens can reach is 3x the shortest one. So your 18-55 is a 3x zoom. But so is someone else's 100-300 zoom, or yet another person's 28-85, or 38-114. But it sounds so much better to be able to boast about your 3x zoom rather than your competitor's puny 2.5x (even if their 2.5x covers a more useful range of focal lengths).

[cmM]

don't forget the battery grip !!! ;)

ACtually, Pekka posted a thread with a link to a PDF file full of accessories for Canon EOS cameras (models spcific), about a month ago. Look it up. It'll help you spend some more money.

[Danny Boy]

I agree w/ Jon about the camera bag topic. There are tons of styles available. One thing I have learned about camera bags (and of course, the hard way) is to make sure you buy a bag that is at least three times the size you think you need today. I bought a backpack bag and after purchasing just a few items, it is already too small for my needs and I am now shopping for a much larger one. Food for thought.

Dan

[hank1105]

Wow, very informative replies. Thank you for the information. I will definitely check out those sites. The X zoom marketing ploy makes sense now. I can't wait to try this camera out.

What is the deal with the battery grip?

Hank

[Belmondo]

The biggest advantage of the battery grip is that by adding a second battery, you can shoot all day long without worrying about running out of juice at an inopportune time. It never seems to fail that on a single battery, the camera dies at the precise moment you’re presented with the shot you’ve been waiting all day for. Another advantage is that it adds heft and balance to the camera. Believe it or not, that has proven to be more of an issue, at least for me, when I’m using the the larger lenses. One more point to consider: the grip gives you a second set of controls for shooting in portrait mode. You have a shutter button that doesn’t require reaching across the top of the camera.

[Jesper]

Battery grip.... :roll:

I'd say, take it easy with buying accessories. Some things are absolutely necessary, such as memory cards, an extra battery and a bag, and a card reader is also a very good (and cheap) thing to get.

Other things are not so essential. I know there are a lot of people who love the battery grip, but I personally don't see it as an essential accessory. I have a 10D myself and for me, the camera itself is already big and heavy enough. Changing batteries is done in a few seconds, so I don't consider the extra battery in the grip such a big advantage. The grip also has an extra shutter button and control wheel, which makes vertical shooting easier, but again, for me it doesn't justify getting the grip.

First, get the essentials, then use your camera and find out how it works. Use your 18-55mm lens for a while. After a while you'll find out what you want next. Maybe a telezoom, or maybe a fast lens for low-light situations?

It's better to buy things that you have a need for yourself than buying what other people tell you to buy....

Have fun with your new camera! 8)

[Belmondo]

I agree with Jesper's analysis to this extent: There are lots of things I'd buy first. One other thing....if you're just getting started and think there's any chance you'll be upgrading to another body anytime soon, the battery grip will very likely not fit whatever you buy next.

[hank1105]

Cool, gotcha. I was just speaking with a friend that stated that memory cards aren't that reliable and sometimes get corrupt. I was planning on getting a 1 gb memory card, he suggested getting multiple cards (2 - 512 or 4 - 256). Anyone else have any ideas on this. Just seems easy for me to have everything on one card, but I would hate for the memory card to crap out. I was thinking of getting the Sandisk Ultra II 1 GB card.

Hank

[Jon]

Good memory cards aren't likely to give you problems, but my preference is for more, smaller, cards rather than fewer, bigger, cards. That said, my idea of "smaller" is 512 MB-1 GB. I have 4 x 1 GB (Compact Flash & Microdrive) and a couple more gigs of 256-512 MB cards.

[Belmondo]

If you have no other cards, I definitely wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. With nothing else in my bag, I'd opt for the 2 512s instead of the 1Gig card. In the early days, I was shooting JPEG, and felt no limitations from 256Meg card. As soon as I switched to RAW, a 256Meg card became vertually useless, 512s were barely adequate, and 1Gigs were best.

Under no circumstances should you ever leave home with just one card regardless of size. It's unusual, but they can go bad.

[hank1105]

Thanks again for all of the useful info. I will go with the (2) 512's. I don't live that far from B&H in NYC, so I might just go down there to pickup a good amount of my stuff.

Hank

[DocFrankenstein]

Under no circumstances should you ever leave home with just one card regardless of size. It's unusual, but they can go bad.
No disrespect, but I think all he needs right now is:

1) ONE 256 mb card
2) Lots and lots of time to read about his camera and photography in general

That's it. He doesn't (didn't) even know what a 3x zoom is. Obviously, he's not shooting sports or celebrities. Even if he misses a shot, it's not the end of the world. He's just starting out and he's gonna miss tons of shots not because of the battery, but because he's doesn't know his equipment.

There's a myriad of things to learn with what he has right now. He should get a solid understanding of shutter speeds, apertues, DOFs, quality of the image and how those things interrelate with each other. He also should read this and other good forums.

Why would he need another battery? Even using the AF with the kit lens, I get about three to four hundred shots. Does he need more as an amateur? Same with battery grip.

Flash reader? Yeah, maybe... But is he in a hurry to get the pics downloaded to send the proofs to the clients? No. So what's the problem with waiting for 10 more minutes to dload the pics? And he's gonna likely have one card at the beginning anyways.

I'd suggest getting something like a SOLID tripod. Or a good monitor if you don't have a nice one yet. Things he actually may NEED when shooting, not the ones they MAY help just a bit.

Other than that, he should go out and shoot shoot shoot... then come home and think about what he did and how to improve on it.

I may have come off a bit harsh, but it's my philosophy. Buy the stuff you need first and then when you become a pro who shoots football or weddings (god forbid ;) ) get the battery grip. Until then, you don't have my blessing :lol:

Plus, if he tried to understand the hows and whys, he's gonna convert to L soon enough :twisted: